I think we all know that a warm bath is a relaxing, luxurious act of self-care—that’s not brand-new information. But what you might not know is that a good bath can also be medicinal.

An average adult has over five million (!) pores in their skin, and when we soak in the tub, our bodies act a whole lot like sponges. We suck up whatever goodness (or badness– that’s why I always soak in filtered water) that is in our tub. Herbalists and natural medicine practitioners have been using healing baths for centuries to treat all kinds of ailments. My doctor even prescribed daily medicinal baths as part of my Lyme treatment protocol.

If taking a bath seems too indulgent for your chaotic schedule, maybe it would help to reframe taking a bath as actually taking your medicine—because by adding a few affordable, easy-to-find ingredients to your soaking water, that’s exactly what you’d be doing!

There are a number of ways a bath can be medicinal, but today, we’re going to focus on the two main ways that make up these Calming Lavender Bath Salts. First, you will be basically turning your tub into a giant cup of herbal, medicinal tea. Yup, you heard me! You’re going to be soaking in tea, and your body is going to love it.

You can do this by putting medicinal herbs directly into your bath water, as we do here with the lavender in these bath salts. If you don’t like the idea of a mess to clean up (a quick post-bath shower helps rinse all the lavender flowers off your body and down the drain), you can also place your herbs in a nut milk bag, tie it to the faucet, and let the water flow through. Or, my preferred method is to actually make a strong infusion of the herbs and then pour the strained tea directly into my bath water. All three methods work beautifully, it just depends on what you prefer. We’re sticking with the whole herb version here because my gosh, do lavender flowers look (and smell!) gorgeous in this blend!

The second way these bath salts turn a bath medicinal is via the salts themselves. Did you know that it’s estimated that half of us are magnesium deficient? Magnesium deficiency can lead to headaches, anxiety, constipation, muscle cramps, and a host of other symptoms. Our body absorbs magnesium transdermally (through our skin), and some experts believe it is a healthier way to supplement magnesium (and without any of the side effects that come from oral supplementation). And did you know that Epsom salts are 100% pure magnesium sulfate?

When you combine the Epsom salts (magnesium!) with the sea salts (a whole host of other trace minerals!) and lavender (calming and relaxing!) in these bath salts, you have one heck of a healing powerhouse in a simple package that can be gifted to anyone you love this holiday season.

When it comes to affordable handmade holiday gifts, these bath salts top the charts. Even including the jars, you could make six of these babies for about $5 a piece—making these perfect teacher gifts, girlfriend gifts, or gifts for anyone who deserves a little pampering. They are simple enough to make with kids and thoughtful enough to give to even your closest friends. Bath salts are a holiday gift giving win!

For the pretty factor, I do recommend investing in some dried lavender flowers—you’ll end up finding a million uses for them in your house—but from a cash-saving standpoint, they aren’t necessary if you use a high-quality lavender essential oil. Some people also prefer not to use the flowers because they do collect in your tub. I find no issues with just running a quick shower afterward to send the flowers down the drain, but that might not be your thing—if not, leave the flowers out!

I created a fun gift tag label for you to print out and use on these bath salts, too. Print it on pretty kraft paper– then you can fold it in half, tie it on with a bit of twine and a dried lavender sprig, and head out and spread your holiday cheer. Enjoy!

For packaging:

Instructions

Sprinkle the lavender essential oil over the salt, and toss very well to combine.

Add in the lavender flowers, if using, and toss to incorporate.

Divide the mixture into the half-pint storage jars and close.

Print the labels, cut them out, and then fold in half. Using a small hole punch, punch a hole in the corner, then attach to the jar using twine. Tie on one sprig of lavender, and gift to someone you love!

Notes

To use: Dissolve 1 cup in a hot bath, relax and soak for at least 20 minutes.

Salt absorbs the moisture in the air, so these salts may begin to harden after a few weeks. Using an airtight jar (like the latch top jars we use here) will help, but if they do end up hardening, just use a fork to “fluff” them.

The lavender flowers will need to be rinsed off your body and the tub after using. If that extra step bugs you, just leave them out.

Cassie is the founder and CEO of Wholefully. She's a home cook and wellness junkie with a love of all things healthy living. She lives on a small hobby farm in Southern Indiana with her husband, daughter, two dogs, two cats, and 15 chickens.

Hello. I’m Cassie, and I’m excited you are here!

I'm a home cook and wellness junkie with a love of all things healthy living. Come along as I explore good food, holistic wellness, natural homekeeping, gardening, and all the other things that bring me joy!

Live Wholefully Starter Guide

In this totally free (yup!) digital book, I share with you everything you need to get started living the Wholefully life—clean eating, green beauty, natural home, self-care, mental health—we cover it all!

Hey, read this!

Many outgoing links on Wholefully are affiliate links. If you purchase a product after clicking an affiliate link, I receive a small percentage of the sale for referring you, at no extra cost to you. Wholefully/Back to Her Roots, LLC is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Any specific health claim or nutritional claims or information provided on the website are for informational purposes only. Nothing on the website is offered is intended to be a substitute for professional medical, health, or nutritional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. See full disclosures »

Only the best and most helpful content to get you on your way to a holistically healthy life.

This form collects information we will use to send you updates about promotions, special offers, and news. Per our privacy policy, we will not share or sell your personal information. You can unsubscribe at any time.

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

Strictly Necessary Cookies

Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.

disable

If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.